News flash, folks. Moviegoers don’t want to think anymore, they just want to be mindlessly entertained by watching the same old junk over and over again, just with different actors, locations, and poorly integrated CGI effects. Anyone who doubts this, note the careers of guys named Sandler, Ferrell, and Apatow for starters. Then look at the recent plethora of sequels: four of the top five money-makers last year were just that (Spider-Man 3, Shrek 3, Pirates 3, Harry Potter 5). The lone original was one of the aforementioned CGI flicks, Transformers… which has itself spawned a sequel. Now name a critically acclaimed film of 2007 that was also a box-office success. Maybe Zodiac. But that’s it. Why? Because people don’t want good movies.

It’s that simple. For those of you naive enough to think there’s no writing talent in Hollywood, think again. There’s the same amount of writing, acting, and directing talent there always has been. But they’re being held prisoner– by the producers to some extent, yes–but mostly by us. Yes, us. The viewing public, who can barely be bothered to expend the brain cells needed to lift handfuls of popcorn to our mouths during the movie, let along actually think about what we’re seeing.

Hollywood still has the talent to make good movies, but the demand just isn’t there. As a result, all that talent is wasting away to nothing as they continue to churn out movies like Knocked Up, Live Free or Die Hard, and I Now Pronounce You Chuck and Larry as the world rolls with laughter at non-stop gay and fart jokes, ogles at CGI taxis crashing into CGI helicopters, and screams for more, never knowing what they could be getting if they just asked. Once in a while, a good film will slip out–Krick mentioned Juno, which I haven’t seen yet but have heard nothing but good things about–but they usually bomb at the box office and scare the producers from trying something so foolish again for another five years or so. It’s a shame… and it’s only going to get worse.

Oh, and all of you thirteen-year-olds who think you can write better than Shakespeare… I thought that when I was your age, too. Now I can’t even read my old stuff without blushing. Give it a couple years and a couple reviews by disinterested individuals before you tout yourselves as the next Orson Welles.

That was… slightly paranoid?

A bit ranty, but it had some decent points.

Stop going to see stupid movies and stupid movies will stop being made. Not here though…

I don’t know. Truthfully, not all the sequels you mentioned were in my opinion awful. It’s true, Harry Potter 4 was an extension of the rest of the series, but it also had a completely new story, and while the books are there, it’s neat to see the story you’ve read come to life. It wasn’t my favorite film ever, but I didn’t hate it. I just wanted to point that out.

I do understand what you mean to say though. For the most part it is true. I have a few friends at school, who when you hear them say anything relating to “A great movie they just saw”, make you want to run over your head with a bulldozer. I don’t know. I laughed out loud when I saw the poster for the next Rambo, having flashbacks of a time only a little while ago, when there, in the exact same position sat a poster for the next Rocky. Maybe they are good, maybe they aren’t, I just found it oddly amusing.

I do wholeheartedly agree with you on one thing Noodle. People have to try to get good things if they want good things.

-Squash

Positive side

I actually quiet like this idea, even though there are a lot of children, this would be good to incourge them into making the effort, and even if they use the spell checker, they’ll still get used to spelling correctly.

Negative side:

But what would the minister of writing do? If someone mis-spelled something, you can’t exactly bann them.

-Steviecolli

“TheNoodle26″ wrote: News flash, folks. Moviegoers don’t want to think anymore, they just want to be mindlessly entertained by watching the same old junk over and over again, just with different actors, locations, and poorly integrated CGI effects.

That was easily one of the most pompous and pretentious statements I’ve ever read.

-Dave